Importance of Patterning Tools in Electronic Module Production
Flat panel display (FPD) applications are calling for ever larger display sizes for rapid retrieval and interpretation of large blocks of data. Presenting information to large groups of people requires conference displays with areas of up to 6 feet by 8 feet (120 inch diagonal.) Displays of this type that are manufactured on flexible substrates are preferred over conventional rigid substrates since they are considerably more rugged, reliable, and cost-effective. Currently, there are no technologies that are capable of producing large area displays on flexible substrates. This invention satisfies this need.
In the manufacturing of many electronic modules such as flat-panel displays (FPDs), the production equipment represents a major cost element, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the total facility cost. Of the many process steps involved in electronic module fabrication, the most critical are those required for patterning the dielectric and metal layers. The capabilities and cost-effectiveness of the lithography technology impact the performance and cost of the module, and ultimately determine the size and cost at the electronic system level. This makes patterning tools the largest and most critical component of the total production equipment investment. Typical costs of individual tools range between $2 and 5 million. A high-volume production facility would have multiple lithography tools. In addition, operating expenses add several hundred thousand dollars per year to the net cost of running such tools. Thus, significant progress will be made toward wider commercial applicability of low-cost electronic modules by development and implementation of new, high-throughput, cost-effective patterning equipment.
Existing patterning tools for exposing large substrate panels suffer from numerous shortcomings, as described below. Tools that can pattern large, flexible substrates with high yields, and at a low cost per exposure, do not exist. Thus, there is a great need for a patterning system that can help produce electronic modules cost-effectively on flexible substrates.